Echoes of the Sword
by Ace Sorou
Summary: My first story. Transpires after the events of Soul Calibur three. Includes farmiliar faces, and several OCs. Please leave feedback. Edit: Chapter 5 is up! Details inside!
1. Chapter 1

Summary of previous events: Ace, an Original Character developed by yours truly, managed to find Nightmare, all the while gathering strong allies to help him. Sigfried ran on ahead, claiming the battle was his alone. Ace gave up on convincing him to take someone with him, and let him go. You might say Ace is a leader type, and like a good general, he cares for his troops. He and the rest of the group, KiliK, Talim, Cassandra, and Yun-seoung, continued with their own path. They finally reached a lost cathedral, where Sigfried was attempting to lead Nightmare for a final showdown. The group entered, but was soon seperated. What's more, several warriors appeared in order to stop them, including Tira, and Raphael. Ace defeated Tira, after ripping out her eye. He then found the others, which had all defeated their opponents, with the exception of Talim, who was wounded by Raphael. The story now continues, from the P.O.V of my character, Ace.

Raphael stood for a moment, after our blades clashed. The once human thought to use Soul Edge to change this world into a nightmarish land of turmoil. He was quick with his rapier, but my Chinese blade was quicker. He fell to the ground, the clash having knocked him unconscious. I did not know if he was dead. I turned to Talim, who was wounded by the man, if he could be called a man any longer. "Talim, bring him to Kilik. He'll know what to do." 

Talim stood to her feet. "Allright. Good Luck." 

I smirked. "Thanks. I'll need it." 

As I spoke, I heard a chain dropping something above me. Without looking, I rolled out of the way, as a cage dropped from the ceiling. Someone was stalling for time. Then, I heard it! The sounds of pitched battle. It seemed to be fierce. What choice did I have? I ran down the hall, as fast as I could.

I ran right into the middle of a battle. Sigfried had met up with Nightmare, as he said he would. I heard two others following. "What's he doing?! He's gonna get himself killed!" 

I looked over to the man. "Be that as it may, he was destined to battle him, Yun-seoung." I told him. 

"Can't we do anything?!" The second said. 

"This is his battle, Cassandra, we must not interfere." 

Yun-seoung threw down his sword. "So we just sit and watch?!" 

I nodded. "For the time being." 

The battle raged for what seemed like hours. We generally stayed out of both combatant's paths. Eventually, they had a standoff. Nightmare called forth his powers, as Sigfried crouched into a defensive position. They charged each other, and brought their sword upon one another. They were both motionless, but only for a second. Then I saw Sigfried fall. "No!" Yun-Seoung went to charge Nightmare, but I barred him off with my arm. 

"Calm down. I'll take care of Nightmare. Get Sigfried out of here." Yun-seoung hesitated, then nodded.

Nightmare laughed maniacly, as if sensing my hostility. His voice spoke out from the cumbersome armor. "The time is ripe…You shall become part of me." He turned, and pointed his blade at me. "You are my first sacrifice!" 

I huffed arrogantly. "If you think you can beat me." I said, stepping forward. I pointed my blade at him, and said, "You're welcome to make an attempt." 

He started the battle with a charge, thinking to cut me in half at the chest. Instead, I jumped high in the air, up and over his head, and landed, stabbing him in the back. My blade penetrated the armor, but I did not score a critical blow. He laughed, knocking me away with the blunt part of his blade. I didn't fall to the ground however, as I pressed up from it, jumping to my feet. Fu-ma ninjitsu training happened to pay off like that. 

I charged him this time, as he tried to bring his blade down upon me. I expertly lept out of the way, grabbed his foot, and threw him off balance. Then, a puff of smoke later, and I slashed his back, with a horizontal swipe from my blade. I jumped at him again, and stomped on his shoulders several times. Seeing that he didn't go down, I kicked the back of both his legs. This brought him to the ground. I stabbed my blade downward, attempting to pierce his throat, but he rolled out of the way, and got back up. 

I lept for him yet again, this time with the emphasis on distance instead of height. He swung his humongous blade at me, trying to knock me out of the air. I managed to step on it to dodge it, but the demonic arm he posessed grabbed me. He tossed me to the ground, and then attempted to bring his sword down again. I managed to roll out of the way, and tried to get up. However, my arms would not respond. The crash seemed to have sent me into a momentary shock. I caught a glimpse of the huge blade, raised over Nightmare's head.

Suddenly, he was knocked to the ground. I looked to see Cassandra, shield and sword raised. This is the second time I owe her my life. Yun-seoung quickly rushed over to help me up, as Cassandra held off Nightmare. When I was on my feet, I thanked Yun-seoung, and rejoined the battle. 

Nightmare was going for an overhead strike, when I shoved my blade under the breastplate of his armor, and cut the leather straps. His breastplate fell off, revealing his monsterous form. I then kicked him away, and slashed him thrice. He howled in pain, and got back on guard. I laughed, pointing at his chest with my blade. "Embarrasing, No?" 

He looked down at the "A" cut into his torso by my blade. "What the-" 

His words were interrupted by my blade stabbing through his chest. I spun a half circle, drawing out my blade. I then stabbed behind me to my left, then to my right, and then brought my blade full circle at neck level, decapitating Nightmare. I sheathed my blade, saying, "Hatred will only destroy you." 

I turned to the outer statue. There, I saw both blades, Soul Edge and Soul Calibur, the latter stabbed into the former. I smirked. I was about to destroy the accursed blade. But then, I heard a farmiliar voice. "I'm impressed that you made it this far. Not bad at all." 

I slowly turned, and saw the man with the scythe. He ambushed me at a clock tower in Germany. He floated down from a pillar, surrounded in a visible, and clearly evil energy. "My dream is about to be realized." He proclaimed. "You, however, are not worthy of witnessing this glorious moment. Leave this place at once." 

Just then, the Soul blades disappeared, and a golden light shot into the man. He writhed in pain, as a silver blue blade appeared from him, and shot at me. I lept clear of it's path, and looked over to see it was Soul Calibur, the spirit sword forged to vanquish Soul Edge. I then looked at the man, who was shining. Then, everything went white. 

Mere seconds later, I discovered the cathedral was in ruin, the waters from the walls replaced by hellfires from the ground, and the cheery blue sky was replaced with a hellish red one. And the man with the scythe, he still wielded one, but he had changed into some kind of half demon, half skeleton.

The creature threw his scythe at me, And I bloked it with my blade. But, the blade broke. My father and I forged that blade together. I threw what little was left of it to the ground. "Is that supposed to scare me?" I mocked at the demon. 

I turned, and grabbed Soul Calibur. I had to stop this thing at all costs! 


	2. Chapter 2

The demon floated down to the ground, scythe at the ready. "You who would stand against me…" He said. "Prepare to die." 

He charged, bringing his scythe up. I stepped out of the way, and thrusted my hilt fist at his head. I can safely say that I've struck harder heads, but still, it was like hitting a rock! And, it didn't even knock him back! I don't care what my dad would've said, I struck him correctly! He kicked me back, and twirled his scythe above his head. Knowing this marneuver, I rolled out of the way, as a piece of my gi ripped on the bottom of his scythe. I stood to my feet, and got into a fencing stance. He brought his scythe downwards, as I spun out of the way, and thrust Soul Calibur in between his ribs. This, however, didn't bring him down. He laughed a demonic laugh, and sent me flying. Then, I felt the scythe hit the underside of my shoulder. "May you sleep, for eternity!" 

He said, as he brought me up and around, slamming me to the ground. I struggled to rise, but he had dislocated my shoulder. I looked over at him, seeing his scythe had caught fire, and was spinning, as if preparing to launch at me.

Suddenly, someone yanked his feet out from under him. I have too many people to thank. Yun-seoung stood on his back, and looked at me. "Need help?" He asked, almost mockingly. 

"Yes, please." I answered, in the same tone. 

He smiled. "Okay then." 

He jumped off the back of the creature, and kicked him in between the legs. He continued to hold him off, as I struggled to relocate my shoulder. Finally, with a loud scream of agony, I managed to put it back. I got up, just in time to see Yun-seoung get kicked in the stomach. He was bent over, as I ran to the battle. I then rolled over his back, and kicked the creature in the center of the chest, sending him flying. Yun-seoung got up, saying, "Thanks." 

I laughed. "No prob. They kick you, I kick them." I saw the creature get up, and added, "And I'll keep kicking him until he's dead." 

We both charged, as the creature swung his scythe at us. Yun-seoung rolled, as I jumped. Then, Yun-seoung kicked his legs, sending him kneeling, and bent over, as I stomped on his back. Twice. But then, I suddenly found myself flying, and there was a pain in my gut. I landed, and saw Yun-seoung being knocked to the ground as well, the crash sending his blade flying off the balcony. The creature glowed again, and shot something at Yun-seoung. But, he managed to roll out of it's way. Not looking to see what was shot at him, I got up, and charged. I managed to tackle the creature, and I started pounding him with both fists. I punched and slammed and elbowed with all my might, and then, I got up, if only to survey what damage was done.

Suddenly, a flash of evil energy passed him, sending him flying. I looked over at the assailant. It was Yun-seoung! With Soul Edge! Only it had morphed itself to fit Yun-seoung's fighting style! He himself was morphed as well, His skin was now a deathly pale, and his eyes, they were just white. No pupils, no iris, just white. To top it all off, an evil energy was eminating from him, visible for everyone to see. At this time, the creature got up, and charged Yun-seoung, judging him to be more powerful, I assume. The creature brought his scythe down on Yun-seoung, but Yun-seoung blocked it. Yes, I said blocked it. With a quick swipe, Yun-seoung chopped the scythe in half, and then brought his leg around to kick the creature in the gut. "You were right, Ace." Yun-seoung said, in a demonic voice. "This isn't a sword of salvation. It IS a sword of damnation. His damnation." 

He said, indicating the creature. With that, Soul Edge was sheathed in fire, and Yun-seoung cut him in half. Horizontally. The creature then shouted out a death cry, and exploded.

"I've never felt such power…" Yun-seoung said, turning to me.

"Yun-seoung, drop the sword." I said, still on guard. 

He laughed an echoing laugh. "Why? This sword makes me so strong!" He then frowned. "You want the power for yourself, don't you?" 

I snarled. "Yun-seoung, the sword is evil! I must destroy it!" 

He donned a look of anger. "Destroy it? I can't let you do that." 

I shook my head. "Yun-seoung, I don't want to do this." Just then, he threw a ball of fire at me. I managed to duck out of the way. "But you leave me no choice!" 

"Wait!" My charge was stopped, when Talim's voice rang out. 

I looked behind myself. Talim walked over to Yun-seoung. "Yun-seoung, please, drop the sword." 

He stepped back. "Talim, without this sword, I'm nothing!" 

Her face was tearing up. "You're something to me, even without the sword! Your strength helped myself, Ace, and everyone else get to where we are now, not Soul Edge's! Without you, we wouldn't be here! Don't throw it all away over this sword! Please, don't let go of us! Of…" She gulped. "Of me." 

Yun-seoung had a look of confusion on his face. "Talim, what are you saying?" 

Talim sniffed. "You mean, you don't already know? I'm saying that I love you."

There was a moment of silence, but then the sword dropped to the ground. "I mean it, Yun-seoung. I love you." 

I took this moment to lunge down and shatter Soul Edge. Pieces scattered everywhere. I looked over. Yun-seoung still looked evil. The taint of the evil still lingered. I feared he would have to live with it forever. But then, a man with a staff came, clutching his bandaged stomach. As if he knew exactly what to do, he walked over to Yun-seoung. "This will only take a moment. I need Talim to back off." 

The lovers seperated, and I watched, as Kilik held out a hand. Evil energy began pouring off of Yun-seoung, and, shortly therafter, he regained his former image. Talim smiled in glee, and ran up to embrace her love, bulldozing Kilik out of the way. I smirked, sheathing Soul Calibur. "It's over." I said. "Let's depart." And at that, we departed. It's all over. I thought.

Boy, was I wrong. 


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3 

"It's been six months now." I told my master.

I had set up my home in the clock tower in Germany. It was surprisingly comforting, the sound of time ticking away. One thing was for sure, I always knew what time it was. My master, a woman named Kaylana, was in her early thirties, and very beautiful. She taught me everything I know. She came to visit, hearing that someone had destroyed Soul Edge. She was surprised, and proud, to find that it was me. We were close. Closer than lovers. We considered each other family.

She smiled, and asked, "And what did the others decide to do afterwards?"

I respectfully returned the smile. "First to leave the group was Kilik. He said that he needed to return to China, to tell a friend that Soul Edge was destroyed. I haven't heard from him since. Sigfried, after I helped him see that his redemption was to live, went to Greece with Cassandra. He said he had no home to go to, and Cassandra offered him to stay with her family. Talim and Yun-seoung are living with me. They think that if they return to their homes, they'll never see each other again. That's the reason for the extra bed."

She pondered for a second. "So where are those two right now?" She asked.

I gave a little laugh. "Out on a date, I assume."

She took another sip of her tea. "I see. So after the sword was destroyed, did you make sure you destroyed the shards there, too?"

I looked over at her. "The shards were too small to resonate power. They posed no threat. Kilik purified them, just to make sure."

"And yet, with all the precautions, Soul Edge still exists."

At these words, and the sound of that voice, my heart skipped a beat. I stood, turned, and drew Soul Calibur. "Show yourself."

The man with the scythe appeared from the shadows. "If Soul Edge couldn't kill me, how do you expect that blade to do so?"

My master drew her blade, and stood next to me. "Is this the one?" She asked.

I nodded. "What are you?" I asked.

The man with the scythe smiled a wide grin. "I'm human, like you. I'm also an ally now, so put your knives away."

I kept my sword drawn, as did my master. "How did you survive?"

The man huffed slightly. "Long ago, I gained the curse of reincarnation. That is all you must know." He bowed. "I am Zasalamel. And, much like the cursed blade, I have a hard time staying dead."

"Well, Zasalamel," I said. "How can I trust you, hmm? Last time we met here, you tried to crush me with a gear."

Zasalamel smirked. "And I didn't this time." He began pacing around us. "But if you need more proof, I'll tell you a secret." He turned to us. "As long as you have that blade, Soul Edge survives."

I was confused by this. "What do you mean?" I asked.

"Soul Edge and Soul Calibur are one and the same. With reguards to power. When Soul Edge is powerful, Soul Calibur is equally powerful. When Soul Edge is weakened, Soul Calibur, too, has been weakened. When Soul Edge is destroyed…"

I glanced down at Soul Calibur, then back at Zasalamel. "No, how can you know that?"

Zasalamel shook his head. "I have the ability to reincarnate. I'm almost as old as the swords themselves."

I glanced at my master. She had an uncanny ability to tell when people are lying. She nodded, and sheathed her sword. I followed suite, sheathing Soul Calibur in the same manner. "So, Soul Edge still exists. Why tell me? There must be someone more powerful than me."

Zasalamel sighed in disappointment. "You're too modest. First off, you're the one who has destroyed Soul Edge most recently. I've never known anyone else to do that, and the few I did know are dead. Secondly, you wield Soul Calibur. That is the only blade currenly in existence powerful enough to destroy Soul Edge for good."

As he spoke, I thought of something. "If Soul Edge and Soul Calibur share power, why don't we destroy Soul Calibur?"

Zasalamel opened his mouth, but bit back his words. He then said, "That would be foolish. Soul Calibur's existence is bound to Soul Edge. Not the other way around."

"Good enough." I said. "Lastly, where do I begin? I need a lead."

As Zasalamel was about to speak, a pair of farmiliar voices shouted, "You!" I turned to see Talim and Yun-Seoung, weapons drawn, and pointed at Zasalamel.

Before I could say anything, Yun-seoung lept toward Zasalamel, intent on cutting him down. Suddenly, Zasalamel caught Yun-seoung by the neck, and turned to me. "I suggest you start your search in the kingdom of Grandall. The emperor there is said to have a humongous sword that can steal away souls. That would sound like Soul Edge to me." He then dropped Yun-seoung. "If you go to Grandall, be careful. There is someone in their employ that believes he can take on the Devil, and has the skills to prove it."

At that, Zasalamel faded into the shadows, and disappeared. "What's going on?" Talim spoke up.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4 

We started on our journey. I had already sent a letter to Kilik, Cassandra, and Sigfried, telling them to meet us in Grandall. It wasn't accessible by land, so we hired someone to take us across the sea. I didn't really catch his name. He wore a hooded cloak over him, and carried a large longsword. He also had a dark aura surrounding him. But that didn't matter, he was getting us there. Most pirates did anyway. That was until we were stopped by a Grandall warship. A sailor aboard shouted over to us. "Halt! What is your business in Grandall?" He shouted.

The captain's raspy voice shouted back. "I have passengers that requested I bring them to Grandall. It matters not to me what their business is!"

"I see." The sailor shouted. "Then we'll need to check your ship. Prepare to be boarded."

The seach didn't take long. We didn't harbor any stowaways. "Everything checks out." The sailor said. "Please continue on your present course."

The ship docked, and we disembarked. "This is where I leave you. Good luck on your journey." The captain said.

"Thank you." I replied, handing him his payment. As I left, I noticed a masked crewman with two black, wavelike blades staring at me. His aura was neutral, so I assumed he wasn't a threat. I continued on my way.

We made home base at a nearby inn, I left myself there, to wait for Kilik and the others. The rest searched for information on Soul Edge. I waited outside, in plain sight. It was a bustling city, and we weren't enemies of Grandall. Yet. I pondered how I would manage to destroy the emperor's Soul Edge. It wasn't exactly on display for everyone to see. But as I pondered this, I spotted the crewman, watching me. His ship had left. What does he want? I waited for him to make his move.

And waited. And waited. And waited. I thought he didn't try anything because of the crowd. So he didn't want witnesses it seemed. I abandoned my post, and went into a back alley. Chances are the others wouldn't be here for a couple more weeks anyway. Sure enough, someone was following. As soon as I got to a dead end, I drew my sword, and turned. It was the captain of the ship that brought me here! He drew his sword, which looked familiar. "Female Soul Edge." I said. "Cervantes? What's the matter, Kilik didn't whip you hard enough?"

"So, I've been found out." Cervantes pulled down his hood, and threw off his cloak. "You're easy to track, but Grandall has a strict 'No Killing' policy in their cities. But seeing as we're alone, they won't know a thing."

I watched him draw Nirvana, and get into his stance. "Before we start, what are you doing here?"

I brandished Soul Calibur. There was a look of surprise and fear from Cervantes' face. "Destroying those like you."

I charged, attemping to decaptate my adversary. He jumped high into the air, and I followed. As he came down, both blade at the ready, I went up in the same manner. We clashed in midair, and held there for a few seconds. As gravity took hold of us, we continued to excange blows. We fought all the way to the ground, and landed with a pair of thuds.

Nonetheless, we continued our exchange. He refrained from using his pistol, as he didn't want to draw attention. This puzzled me as I fought him, because something like that wouldn't matter to him. Were there powerful souls in the city? Or had he been weakened somehow? We locked our swords, and pushed off against each other. I backflipped, landing in a shaolin kung fu stance. He skidded to a halt, and got ready to do his charge for which he was famous.

He was the first to continue the battle, flying at me like a whirlwind of blades. I reacted seconds before he hit me, doing a double frontflip over him, making him run into a pile of trashcans. On a sidenote, I often wonder if he gets dizzy doing that. He got up, throwing a trashcan off of himself, and staggering through the pile of garbage. "Dang, I thought you stank before, but now…" I mockingly waved a hand in front of my face, as if trying to get a smell to go away. That ticked him off.

He was about ready to charge me again, when the masked sailor appeared out of nowhere, and started attacking Cervantes. I've seen how humans move with those type of wave blades, and I tell you, this guy wasn't human. My theory was proven true, after the sailor was stabbed in the gut, but there was no gut to stab. Cervantes pushed him off, and said, "Hardly a fair fight! We'll meet again!" At which point, he jumped onto a roof, and ran off.

The masked sailor turned to me, as I pointed my blade at him. "Who are you?"

The sailor took off his mask, and revealed a skull. "This is one of my puppets. I sent it here to make sure no harm comes to you." The voice was Zasalamel's. "It will watch over you from the shadows, because everything falls apart if you are dead."

I sheathed Soul Calibur. "You could've said something. What do I call it?"

"If you must name it, it's called 'Revenant'. It is there when I am not."

"Catchy. Well, I guess I'll see you when I see you. But try not to creep me out so much with this thing."

"I will try not to in the future."

I didn't respond to this. I simply walked back to the inn, and I heard Revenant jump into the air, I assume to do it's bodyguard work.

The rest of the day was nearly uneventful. Everyone returned to the inn, and I told them about Revenant. I didn't want to tell them about Cervantes, being that his power inspired fear in us in the past, but I felt obligated. After they heard that he was still "alive", I don't know if I should use that term, Yun-Seoung and Talim became upset. "Dang. That bastard just doesn't know when to quit!"

"Why is he interested in targeting us individually?" Talim said. "He's been so arrogant, he'd be more likely to go after all of us at once."

"I don't know, Talim. But keep on your guard. Before we do anything too drastic, we should wait for the others to arrive. If only just to be safe."

After everyone was in agreement, we went on to discuss rumors of the emperor's sword. We found little information, but we did get confirmation that it was part of Soul Edge. The most persistent description from those who saw it was a large blade as big as a man, with an eye on each side. The sword was said to suck a man's essence away from him. I was convinced that we were dealing with someone who had a lot of pieces of Soul Edge that formed into one sword.

I began to lay out the plans for our next move. As Sun Tzu says, to know your enemy is to defeat him before you meet him on the field of battle. Therfore, I informed everyone to ask about people that are major players in the Grandall Army. "I also want to know about this guy who thinks he can take on the Devil." I said. "I wanna know what he's really capable of. If he's just a braggart, it should be no problem, but if not, he could hinder any plans to destroy the emperor's Soul Edge.

"Yun-seoung, stay with Talim. Talim, you stay with Yun-seoung. If Carvantes comes back, he could endanger both of you alone, but neither of you together. Master, with respect, you should stay at the inn tommorow. I'll gather information."

My master nodded. "But what if Cervantes comes back for you?"

"Zasalamel said that Revenant watches over me from the shadows. He's been true to his word thus far, so I don't think he's lying."

"Very well." My master said.

"Everyone, we've got a big day tommorow. Let's get some sleep." With that, everyone went off to bed.


	5. Chapter 5

A/N: NICHT SCHISEN! DON'T SHOOT! It's me! My internet connection was down! At the risk of sounding like an airport delay announcement, I apologize for any inconvenience.

Some questions have been addressed to me, and they will be answered in this chapter. Also, People have been protesting outside my house with signs saying "More Detail" and "Move the Story Slower", so I've done that.

If any of you play D&D, then you might recognize some new faces and or names in this chapter. It's a Dungeons and Dragons crossover now, so don't be surprised to see goblins and such.

Disclaimer: I don't own the Soul series. Namco owns it. DO NOT send me hate mail if you don't like the game.

Chapter 5

The next day, information was slow. Everyone knew only rumors. It took a week to get any reliable information. Which was fine by me, because three days later, the next two, actually three, of our group arrived. I say two at first, because the third was a new face.

A large figure in a brown, hooded cloak approached me. It was my turn to stay at the Inn again. Behind him, I saw not one, but two women in grecian armor, with swords and shields. I recognized Cassandra, but the other woman's Identity was unknown to me. The gigantic sword tied to the cloaked man's back brought only one name. "Sigfried! Hey buddy, what's-"

"Shh!" He said, a gauntleted hand clasped over my mouth. There was silence, except for the sounds coming from the bustling of crowds. "You idiot!" He whispered from beneath his hood. "I have enemies here!" He sighed. "Why I agreed to come here, I still don't know. Why did you call us here, anyway?"

Sigfried removed his hand from my mouth as he said this. I looked around. "Then maybe you should come inside." At that, I led them in.

I took them to a corner table, and ordered us some pints. I often say, 'Enjoy the ethnic edibles, but don't drink the water.' So instead, I drink the ale. As we were waiting for our drinks, I wanted to know who this newcomer was. So, I asked. "Who's this?"

Cassandra responded. "Ace, this is my sister, Sophitia."

Sophitia gave me a respectful nod. "Hello."

I smiled in reply. "Greetings."

The waitress came with our drinks, as Sigfried asked, "Why did you ask us to come here, anyway?"

His drink was starting down his throat, when I said, "Soul Edge still exists."

I held back a smirk, as Sigfried gagged on his ale. Yes, I did it on purpose. I then layed out the ground work of what's happened thus far; how Zasalamel came to tell me, that Cervantes is also still alive, but weakened, and Revenant is looking out for me. I even told them what the group has learned so far, that we've confirmed that the Emperor's sword is indeed at least part of Soul Edge. "Great. The remnants of the cursed sword just happened to be in Grandall."

"Not exactly remnants." I said. "If Cervantes is alive, there's still more of it out there. But what's your beef with Grandall anyway?"

Everyone just stared at me blankly. "I own no cow in conjunction with Grandall."

I shook my head in an 'oh, brother' way. "Let me rephrase that. What's so bad about you coming to Grandall?"

Sigfried looked at his ale. "I'd rather not talk about it."

I shrugged. "Fair enough."

"Wait a minute!" Cassandra interjected softly. "Zasalamel is dead! I saw Yun-seoung kill him after he turned into that…that…thing!"

"He did die." I responded. "I find it hard to believe, too. At first I thought it was reincarnation, but he'd still have to go through childhood if that were so. I don't know what to think. It's a secret I have yet to find out."

"Well, he's helping us now, right?" Sophitia chimed in. "He can't be all bad."

"I find that suspect." Sigfried said. "He was after the swords for a reason. I suspect he's still after them for the same reason. I retrospectfully looked upon his movements. They all seemed to be steps to strengthen Soul Edge. History shows that he'll do the same."

"I'm aware of that, Sigfried." I said. "But he's proven his trustworthiness to me. I'm not saying I think he's gonna turn on us when I say this, but I'll keep in mind his movements."

"So, what do we do now?" Cassandra said.

I pondered. "I suppose we wait. The rest of the group should be back at…any…time…" A robed, hooded figure, emenating a taint of evil that was so vile, caught my eye. He had just walked in, and bumped into a patron by accident, allowing me to catch a glimpse of his face. My suspicions were confirmed. The skin of the man was a deep red, and stretched across his face, as if here were starving for days. He moved with the grace and vigor of a normal human. There were no eyes in his sockets, but he could see just fine. No one else saw it, but I thought of one creature that matched the description. "Vilewight…" I mumbled.

"Bile, what?" Cassandra asked.

I looked at the rest of the group. "Listen closely, 'cause I'm only gonna say this once. There are things in this world more powerful, and more evil, than Soul Edge. From what I just saw, I can tell you, that, within the week, this town will be attacked by one of those things. Remember this name: Orcus, Demon Prince of the undead. I suspect that this evil will be the one to attack."

"How would you know?" Sophitia asked.

"That thing in the robes over there." Sigfried answered for me. "I sensed the evil from it, too. What is it?"

I sighed. "Something that should've stayed dead. Be on your guard, and inform the others."


End file.
